as in corrupting
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
by insisting that she pay me for helping her, she subverted my noble desire to do a good deed without reward
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Recent Examples of subverting
All of it—having children because her husband wanted them, putting her career on hold to tend pear trees in a midwestern suburb—might come across as out of character for Smith, who spent her formative years subverting traditional gender roles.
—
Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
At a time when homages to retro Latin genres have become a cliché, Como Las Canto Yo succeeds by subverting expectations.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
But Interview With the Vampire set a precedent for transformative TV from the Immortal Universe, its narrative and visual audacity subverting adaptation tropes and genre storytelling by challenging viewers’ notions of immortality, sexuality, and destiny.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Below, Gray speaks with THR about life on the road, subverting the pressure of fans’ reaction to his music and finding his complete self recording his new music.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Infiniti’s portrayal of Willa has drawn praise for subverting the trope of the damsel in distress, instead becoming her very own heroine in the tale.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
The film examines how boundaries are inscribed and looks to plants as models for subverting systems of control.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
The Hacks star, 34, made a statement with her arrival to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, subverting the event's formal dress code.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
On the one hand, he has been accused of possibly subverting the rules to give his team an advantage over theirs.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
At a time when homages to retro Latin genres have become a cliché, Como Las Canto Yo succeeds by subverting expectations.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
But Interview With the Vampire set a precedent for transformative TV from the Immortal Universe, its narrative and visual audacity subverting adaptation tropes and genre storytelling by challenging viewers’ notions of immortality, sexuality, and destiny.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Below, Gray speaks with THR about life on the road, subverting the pressure of fans’ reaction to his music and finding his complete self recording his new music.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Infiniti’s portrayal of Willa has drawn praise for subverting the trope of the damsel in distress, instead becoming her very own heroine in the tale.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
The film examines how boundaries are inscribed and looks to plants as models for subverting systems of control.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
The Hacks star, 34, made a statement with her arrival to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, subverting the event's formal dress code.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
On the one hand, he has been accused of possibly subverting the rules to give his team an advantage over theirs.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subverting
Verb
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Elites stirred up a now familiar moral panic about commerce corrupting letters and mocked Grub Street even as its writers built the first modern freelance economy and mass-print culture.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Nov. 2025
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But the church also taught that the power of music could be corrupting.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The local politicians like Mayor Wu who are staying mum are just compounding cronyism and degrading the livability of the neighborhood.—
Lou Murray,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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Rain, wind gusts, birds and other atmospheric surprises during low-altitude flight might alter the inflowing air to the cruise missile, degrading the reactor.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That goes even further than DESI's hints at weakening dark energy.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The central bank cut its benchmark rate for the second time this year at its most recent meeting, in part to help bolster the economy amid a weakening job market.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The brand, which was based on changing the status quo and perverting common ideas, was a success and Babenzien learned how to build a business.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And candidates who stoked fear in voters — with the threat of towering multi-family complexes destroying their communities or costly local infrastructure projects driving up taxes — lost by clear margins.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
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Derek Lopez, 27, was fired from his role at the university after he was caught on camera destroying a Turning Point display.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Routhenstein recommends diluting oxymel in water and consuming it with meals to protect tooth enamel, reduce stomach irritation, and minimize blood sugar spikes.—
Julia Ries Wexler,
Health,
7 Nov. 2025
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Relying on that representation, Trinity Broadcasting increased McGraw’s stake in Merit Street, via his production banner Peteski, to 70 percent while diluting its own stake to 30 percent.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the last 28 years, Alaska's rural school districts have made close to 1,800 requests to the state for money to maintain and repair deteriorating schools, but only 14% of those requests have been approved.—
Emily Schwing,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
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Fiserv attributed its slowing growth to Argentina’s deteriorating economic environment, as the country last year contributed 10 percentage points to Fiserv’s 16% organic growth rate.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In November 2024, an American citizen was among six tourists who died in Laos, where alcohol tainted with methanol was blamed for poisoning them.—
Jay Ganglani,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
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What about him specifically bothers you especially in terms of poisoning the youth?—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subverting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subverting. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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